Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's No.1 automaker, said Sunday that its launched a refreshed Grandeur hybrid sedan with improved safety and convenience features while retaining its fuel economy.

The full-size, front-wheel drive sedan, rated to achieve 16 kilometers on a liter of fuel in combined driving conditions, also receives a new radiator grille, changes in the front and rear bumpers, black-bezel HID headlights and quad-LED fog lamp assembly that give the vehicle a more upscale feel.

The company, the flagship of Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fifth-largest automaker, said it altered the layout of the switch gear to make it more intuitive to use and modified the control knobs and angle of cabin air vents for a more comfortable experience for passengers.

In the safety department, the carmaker said the sedan, which is the best-selling hybrid vehicle in the country, gets a forward collision warning system and blind spot detection as options, as well as advanced rollover sensors and a 32-bit motor driven power steering (MDPS) that enhances driver feedback. The previous generation Grandeur hybrid had a 16-bit MDPS.

All 2015 model year Grandeur hybrids will get a smart trunk system that is found in the latest Hyundai cars.

To further improve the car's appeal, Hyundai said consumers who buy the car, called the Azera in the U.S. market, will get a 10-year, 200,000 kilometer warranty on all hybrid-related components, with Hyundai ensuring minimum used car sales price of 62 percent of the purchase price for a three-year-old car.

In addition, to alleviate any concerns about hybrid systems, Hyundai said new owners will be allowed to return their cars within 30 days of purchase and get a conventional-powered car. Car owners will get a brand new Grandeur hybrid in the event the car they bought is involved in an accident within a year of the purchase date. Such conditions are already offered to people operating the current generation Grandeur hybrid.

According to the company, despite the safety improvements and other updates, the 2015 Grandeur hybrid will have a base sticker price of 34.5 million won (US$30,940) after various tax breaks given to low emission vehicles have been taken into account. This is 100,000 won lower than the present car.

"The 2015 Grandeur hybrid is expected to offer a safe, refined ride and the kind of fuel economy that can only be found in the best low emission vehicles on the road," Hyundai Motor said. (Yonhap)